Projects & Sponsors

Plant-Microbial Interfaces (PMI):

The Plant-Microbial Interfaces project is part of a scientific focus area in Genomic Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory sponsored by the Department of Energy, Office of Biological and Environmental Research. This project focuses on understanding the dynamic interactions and interfaces that occur between plants and microbes (Bacteria, Fungi and Archaea) and how they shape the environment, biotechnology, as well as plant health and productivity.  In particular we focus on root, soil and rhizosphere microbial interactions with the model tree species of Populus.

Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Climatic and Environmental Change (SPRUCE):

The Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Climatic and Environmental Change project is part of a scientific focus area in Terrestrial Ecosystem Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory sponsored by the Department of Energy, Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The SPRUCE experiment is a multi-year cooperative interaction among scientists of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the U.S. Forest Service (Northern Research Station), and several universities that is examining the responses of plant and microbial communities, biogeochemistry and greenhouse gas emissions to multiple levels of warming in a high-carbon peatland ecosystem in Northern Minnesota.

Oak Ridge Integrated Field Research Challenge:

The Oak Ridge IFRC project is part of a scientific focus area in Subsurface Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory sponsored by the Department of Energy, Office of Biological and Environmental Research. The IFRC project seeks to advance the understanding and predictive capability of coupled hydrological, geochemical, and microbiological processes that control in situ transport, remediation and natural attenuation of metals, radionuclides, and co-contaminants across multiple scales ranging from molecular to watershed levels.

Determinants of Bioavailability and Sequestration of Pb and As in Soil:

This project is part of an effort funded by the Department of Defense, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP). In collaboration with Nicholas Basta (Ohio State Univ.), Phil Jardine (Univ. of Tennessee),  Kirk Scheckel (US-EPA), and others we are seeking to understand the soil physical, chemical and biological factors that effect ultimate bioavailability or sequestration potential for these common contaminants.  Our work is aimed to provide fundamental science that should underlie bioremediation decisions within soils contaminated by firing range activities, smelting and other historic and ongoing agricultural and industrial practices inside and outside of DoD.